Incubator



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INGUBATOR.

Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

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WITNESSES di ATTORNEYS.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. L. CAMPBELL.

` INCUBATOR. N0I 338,828. Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

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vUNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES L. cAMPBELL, 0E WEST ELIZABETH, PENNSYLVANIA.

|NouBAToR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,828, dated January 5, 1886.

Application tiled September 8, 1883. Renewed November 5, 1885. Serial No.18i,931. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JAMES L. CAMPBELL,

Vof West Elizabeth, in the county of Allegheny have their bottoms provided with slats which are higher upon one side than the other, so that the largest ends of the eggs will be raised upward, so that the heads of the chickens will be formed in the large ends; second, in an incubator, the combination of a boiler, made in two parts, with the pipes for connecting them together, one pair of pipes having their upper ends extending into the top of the upperpart Y, of the boiler, and the other pair having their lower ends projecting down into the lower part of the lower portion of the boiler; third, the combination of the incubator having a hotair chamber on its under side, and which has an f opening or space at its center,with the perforated box or frame which is applied thereto, and the lamp, all of which'will be more fully described hereinafter.

Figure 1 isa side elevation of an incubator complete. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the two Y trays. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the center of the incubator. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken through just above one `'of the trays. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view t of the trays, showing how the eggs are supported upon the slats. Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section ofthe boiler and its pipes. p A represents the frame-work of an incubator,

,which will preferably be made rectangular in shape, and of any desired size or construction Y" that may be preferred. At one end of this frame is made a suitable door, through which the trays are introduced, and through the top of the frame is made the opening B, which is covered by a slide, and through which opening the hand can be passed for the purpose of regulating the regulator ma, and thus prevent the necessity of opening the door and letting out an unnecessary amount of heat. A regnlator is here shown, but only for the purpose of showing a complete incubator, and to show heat by opening it so as to allow the heat to freely escape at any time it may be desired.

Through one side of the frame is made a suitable opening, C, in which are placed double panes of glass, through which a view can be taken at any time of the interior of the incubator. This opening is provided with a suitable door, which will be kept closed, so as to keep the interior of the incubator dark.

' This incubatoris heated by means of a lamp and a boiler or heater, D. This boiler is A made in two parts, one of which is placed in the bottom of the frame and the other in the top, and these two parts are connected together bythe pipes E. which are preferably placed in the four corners of the frame, as shown in Fig. 4:. Two of these pipes should be connected with the top and the lower por'- tions of the boiler, and their upper ends should then extend into the upper portion of the boiler, while the other two pipes should have their upper ends connected to the bottom of the upper portion of the boiler and have their lower ends extend down to or near the bottom of the lower portion. By this construction a circulation of water is kept up and a more even temperature through'- out the incubator is maintained than if the pipes were simply connected with the bottom of the upper` part and the top of the lower part of the boiler. upper portion of this boiler is made a suitable opening, F, under the opening B in the top of the frame, and through which the hand can be passed for the purpose of reaching the regulator. Through the two openings B F the hot air can freely escape whenever the slide is open, and the heat thus prevented from rising so high as to be liable to injure the eggs. These openings also serve toIadmit fresh air to the eggs when the slide is open, so that it is not necessary to take the eggs out Through the top of the IOO to air them every day, except when the Weather is very warm. Admitting fresh air to the eggs so as to air them saves the necessity of having to remove the trays more than once a Week in cool weather, and thus saves a great deal of work and the risk of injuring the eggsin handling the trays. This boiler is iilled at the opening G, and is provided with a small pipe, H, through which the heat can freely escape, and thus prevent the boiler from being injured by too great a pressure therein in case the heat should rise too high from any accident. The heat from the lamp is not applied directly to the under side of the lower portion of the boiler D, but is applied to the plate I, upon which this portion of the boiler rests, and the heat transmitted from the plate I to the boiler. By this construction the heat is applied very gradually to the water, and thus a sudden accidental rise of the heat is prevented. Upon the top of the -lower portion of the boiler is placed a second plate, I', which also serves to regulate the passage of the heat from the lower portion of the boiler into the incubator. through the plate I', is imparted but slowly to the interior of the incubator, and the water in the pan is not heated so as to throw off steam. Upon this plate I and under both rtrays is placed the water-pan J, which furnishes the necessary moisture to the eggs. This Water-pan is lled through the door of the incubator when the lower tray is removed. There will be any suitable number of trays used, and which are placed one over the top of the other, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and the bottoms of these trays will be made of strips K, which extend endwise the full length of the tray, and the intermediate dividing-strips, L, which are placed between them. These strips K L are prevented from sagging from the weight of the eggs upon them by means of transverse strips A5, which extend at right angles to the strips K L, as shown in Fig. 4. These strips K will preferably be formed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, so as to be higher upon one side than the other. By making one side higher the larger ends of the eggs can be raised upward, as shown in Fig. 5, and thus cause the head of the chicken to be formed in this large end. Vhere the eggs are laid iiat down upon their sides in the usual manner, the head of the chicken is liable to be formed in either the large or the small end, and when formed in the small end the chicken dies, because there is not suflicient room at that end for it to perfectly form. When, however, the large end is tilted upward, the germ from which the chicken is formed, in nearly ninty-nine cases out of a hundred, as has been proved by actual test, is formed in the large end of the shell, and in such a manner that the head will grow at that end only. Both of these strips K will be formed, as shown, so that the eggs will have no more bearing-surface than is neces- The heat, having to pass sary, and therefore can be made to turn much more easily than they would if the edges were so formed that each egg would have a solid bearing upon them. These strips K may either be placed in the relation to each other as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or the strips may be inclined in the same direction.

In connection with this incubator is shown a clock-work mechanism, by means of which the partitions aM are moved in the trays every six hours, for the purpose of turning the eggs one-half over. No further description is here made of this portion of the invention, as it will form the subject of another application.

The dividing-strip L is placed between the strips K, and is placed just far enough from each one of the strips K to allow the air to freely pass Vback and forth around the ends of the eggs, as shown,

When it is desired to keep the eggs separated, and thus keep any one kind from another, the lower tray will be provided with partition-boards M, which are as wide as the tray is deep. These division-boards M and l the narrower ones a, used in the upper tray, are connected together by means of the wires b, and are moved in the manner described in my former patent.

Heretoforeit has been customary to provide an incubator with a box to inclose the lamp, and the blaze'of the lamp is then controlled by means of suitable valves in said box, which valves regulate the amount of air fed to the lamp. This box is only a source of unnecessary expense, and for that reason I entirely dispense with it and regulate the heat of the lamp by means of the burner itself. The lamp is placed upon a suitable support, so as to bring the top of the chimney within any desired distance of the bottom plate, I. In this bottom plate, I, is formed the hot-air chamber N, which has a suitable opening, O, at its center, and within which opening the top of the lamp-chimney passes. In the chamberN is placed the partition P, which is provided with suitable perforations, so that the heat from the lamp can pass freely into the chamber. The heat from the lamp radiates both upward and downward. That which passes upward assists in heating the lower portion of the boiler D, and that which passes downward heats the nursery Q, in which the small chickens are first placed after being hatched. The heat coming from above into this nursery warms the little chickens as naturally as the heat which comes from the mother. Fastened to the top of this nursery Q will be a cloth or other material, R, which will hang down just far enough to bear upon the chickens and assistin keeping them warm. Through the sides of the nursery will be made suitable doors and a suitable number of air-holes. Care must be taken to prevent any gases or vapors from lamp from passing into this nursery, for the gas is poisonous to the chickens. If so desired, a suitable pipe or conductor may be IOO IIO

IIS

made through the nursery or through the chamber N; or any other suitable means may be provided for conducting the vapors beyond the sides of the incubator. This nursery Q will be found to be of great convenience and saving, and in this manner dispense with the usual brooder,which is necessary to those raising chickens.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the trays are placed one above the other, and to the upper tray is secured a door, D, which is just wide enough to reach upto the top opening through which the two trays are passed. This door D may be dropped downward, so as to allow a person to inspect the condition of the eggs in the upper tray without the necessity of pulling the trays out. In order to inspect the eggs in the lower tray,the person looks through the window upon the side of the frame; but in case it is necessary to do anything to the eggs in the lower tray or the back part of the upper tray it is necessary that the trays should be disconnected from the lever- C and its attachments.

I am aware that boilers in incubators have heretofore been made in two parts and connected together by pipes; but the ends of the pipes have never been arranged in the manner here shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In an incubator, the combination of the boiler, which is made in two parts, and the pipes for connecting them together, two pipes having their upper ends projecting into the top of the upper portion of the boiler, and the other two pipes having their lower ends projecting down into the lower portion of the boiler, substantially as set forth.

2. The trays having their bottoms constructed of pieces or slats which are higher upon one side than the other, so as to tilt the large ends of the eggs upward, substantially as specified.

3. The trays having their bottoms formed of the strips K L, the strips K being made higher upon one side than the other, substantially as shown.

4C. The combination of the incubator having a hot-air chamber on its under side, and which has an opening or space at its center, with the perforated box or frame which is applied thereto, and the lamp,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afflX my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

J. L. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

CHARLIE SHOAF, J. M. SHOAF. 

